Mouthpiece



March 25, 1952 v. J. ODDO, JR

MOUTHPIECE Filed Oct. 1, 1949 JNVENTOR. Vincent J. Oddo Jr. BY

attorney Patented Mar. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOUTHPIECE Vincent J. Oddo, Jr., Providence, It. 1.

Application October 1, 1949, Serial No. 119,100

3 Claims.

My'present invention relates to dental appliances, and more particularly to a novel construction of a mouthpiece.

The principal object of the present invention is to'provide a mouthpiece which protects both the upper and lower teeth.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece which permits opening and closing of the mouth without dislodging the mouthpiece.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece that allows free breathing through the mouth. I

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists ofa novel construction, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the mouthpiece in position;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the mouthpiece;

Fig. 3 is a front View of the same;

Fig. dis a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the top con struction.

The conventional prizefighters mouthpiece is entirely inadequate as a protective device. It falls to properly protect the flghters teeth and jaw; it interferes with his breathing; and it is easily knocked from his mouth during a fight. The device of the present invention eliminates these defects and provides a mouthpiece that is suitable for use in-all sports.

The mouthpiece of the present invention is constructed of pre-vulcanized latex rubber and is durable, flexible and light. It protects both the upper and lower teeth, the gums, lips, cheeks and tongue. It allows breathing through the mouth, talking or spitting. It helps prevent unnatural movements of the lower jaw. It can be readily sterilized by boiling or with alcohol.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, illustrating my invention, the mouthpiece I comprises an integral, one-piece body of resilient rubber material in a general U-shape conforming to the alignment of the teeth. Generally it comprises an upper section I l and a lower section I! integrally joined at the rear portions [3 and [4. Both the upper section H and lower section [2 comprise a channel construction as shown in Fig. 4, the upper section II forming a U-shaped trough I and the lower section I 2 forming an inverted U-shaped trough It. The troughs l5 and 16 are designed to completely surround the teeth and gums in a protective rubber sheath. The sides of the portions l5 and I6 extend upwardly and downwardly a sulficient distance to conform to the shape of the mouth, the upper and lower edges being irregular to accommodate the bones and muscles in the mouth.

The inside of each trough l5 or [6 may be molded to conform to the wearers teeth for a close fit, or may be generally restricted in a standard size to grip the teeth. As can be seen in the drawings, the upper and lower portions II and [2 are separated, as at IT, to a point adjacent the first molar and are integrally joined rearwardly beyond that point. This permits the lower portion [2 to be hinged downwardly into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2.

It is desirable that the device grip the teeth so that it will not be easily dislodged. When in position, the teeth and gums will be encased in resilient rubber, affording complete protection, yet the wearer can open his mouth to breathe or talk. Furthermore, the conventional mouthpiece leaves the lower teeth exposed so that blows on the checks or lips cause cuts on the inside of the mouth. The present invention eliminates such injuries by its complete coverage of the teeth and gums. The present construction also resiliently resists twisting of the lower jaw by a blow which often has harmful results. The cushioning efiect of the device help prevent basal skull fractures, temperomandibular joint injuries, dental fractures, and other similar injuries.

The device can be made in standard sizes such as small, medium and large. However, it is preferable that it be constructed in the same manner as a precision prosthetic appliance. The method of construction is as follows:

First, an impression is taken of the upper and lower arches in a conventional elastic type impression material.

' This impression must include not only the teeth, but also the complete dental alveolar processestissues, muscles, gums and bone structure.

In the second step, the impressions of the upper and lower jaws are used to make models of dental plaster or dental stone. The models are now mounted on a hinge so that the teeth will close in the same alignment as the actual teeth. The hinge is then extended so that the uppers and lowers are spread apart a distance of two millimeters to allow for the rubber cushion.

In step three, wax is formed to the models to cover all tooth surfaces and gums, to the muco- 3 buccal fold in the upper front, the hard palate in the rear of the front portion, the border of the mouth on the inside, and back as far as the upper and lower triangles. The wax is formed approximately one millimeter in thickness.

In the fourth step, the uppers and lowers are placed together and the wax united from the first molar region on each side rearwardly so that they are continuous with each other. From the first molar region forwardly, the upper and lower forms are kept separated by inserting a, sheet of tin foil approximately .005 in thickness.

In step five the completed wax up on the models, with the tin foil in place, is invested completely in dental plaster with one large sprue one inch in diameter leadin into the front portion.

The sixth step is the removal of the wax by boiling the entire investment in water and then allowing it to dry.

In step seven, prevulcanized latex is poured into the mold through the sprue opening and allowed to dehydrate for 24 hours.

In the final step, the investment and tin foil are removed and the sprue is cut at its point of attachment. The cut surface is then polished with sand paper or a felt wheel to finish the surface.

The above process produces a one-piece, resilient appliance which is integrally hinged to permit opening and closing of the mouth. The

'central opening permits free breathing through the mouth. Because of the clinging, rubbery fit, the mouth can be opened without dislodging the appliance. The complete rubber coverage protects the teeth and gums of the uppers and lowers equally and prevents injury to the soft tissues such as the lips, cheek and tongue.

While I have described a specific embodiment of my invention and a specific method of manuiacture of the same, it is obvious that changes may be made in the size and shape of the parts or in the method of manufacture without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A mouthpiece comprising a soft rubber sheath formed to fit over the upper teeth and gums, and a. second sheath formed to fit over the lower teeth and gums, said upper and lower sheaths being integrally joined adjacent the rear portions thereof to produce a hinge effect and being separable towards the front portions thereof.

2. A mouthpiece comprising a soft rubber, onepiece body having a general U-shape to fit the alignment of the teeth, the upper and lower surfaces having channels adapted to accommodate the teeth and gums to completely encase the same, said body having a front opening permittin separation of said upper and lower channels rearwardly to the first molar region.

3. A mouthpiece comprising a soft rubber sheath formed to the shape of the upper teeth and gums, and a second sheath formed to the shape of the lower teeth and gums, said upper and lower sheaths being integrally joined at the rear portions thereof forwardly as far as the first molar region and being separable from the first molar region forwardly to permit a hinging of said sheaths.

VINCENT J. ODDO, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,146,264 Kelly July 13, 1915 2,020,311 Harrison Nov. 12, 1935 2,192,558 Poindexter Mar. 5, 1940 2,310,912 Mintz Feb. 9, 1943 2,315,748 Thompson Apr. 6, 1943 2,424,533 Faires July 22, 1947 2,467,432 Kesling Apr. 19, 1949 2,479,780 Remensnyder Aug. 23, 1949 

